Octavius V. Catto, 'an inspiration' to all Americans, honored with statue in Philadelphia

Octavius V. Catto may have died more than a century ago, but he hasn't been forgotten.

The civil rights activist was killed on Oct. 10, 1871 by those trying to suppress the black vote on Election Day in Philadelphia.

Prior to his death he had advocated for the ratification of the 15th Amendment in Pennsylvania (which gave the right to vote to all male citizens regardless of their race), fought for integrated trolley cars in Philadelphia, helped raise troops in the Civil War, founded the Pythian Baseball Club and taught at the Institute of Colored Youth (now Cheyney University). He did all of that by the age of 32.

More than 140 years after his murder, Philadelphia honored him with a monument on City Hall. Hundreds came out to watch the unveiling on Sept. 26, 2017.

It's the first-ever statue dedicated to an African American individual on public land in Philadelphia. It is the first statue to have been erected on the apron of City Hall since 1923's "John Wanamaker, Citizen."

Science Leadership Academy Center City campus students Anthony Castro and Anthony Nelson cheer as the statue of Octavius V. Catto is revealed.

As the fabric fell off the statue of Catto for the first time, teen Anthony Nelson cheered loudly. A student at the Science Leadership Academy in Center City Campus, he was there with his African American history class and teacher.

"It was an amazing feeling to see another black monument in Center City," Nelson said. "There are not a lot of monuments for black people in Center City so it's a good feeling to know that another black person is being recognized for the stuff they did, making history."

It was important to take the kids out to see the statue unveiling, according to his teacher, Pearl Jonas.

"I wanted to take advantage of this moment for them to see something happen in real time and us celebrating African American history in Philadelphia," Jonas said.

"I've taught O.V. Catto in my classes and I think he's a great example of the long tradition of the freedom struggle and the fight for equality and Philadelphia's contributions," she continued. "Kids often hear about all of it in the 1950s and 1960s... but the tradition is so much stronger than that. O.V. Catto is a nice point to look at to see the long history of that tradition."

The statue itself, however, she felt was overdue. Still, it's important.

"I think it reflects a lot of what I hope we value in our history and what it means to be an American: that we strive to make this country better," she said.

Keith Freeman, a member of the Octavius V. Catto Lodge of the Black Elks, felt like crying as he watched the unveiling. He has high hopes for the statue.

"I hope that what people get [out of the statue] is the spirit of unity, which is lacking these days," he said. "I'm hoping it will bring our city, and possibly even the country, more together."

Already it appeared to be doing so. The crowd that poured out onto the street in front of City Hall was a solid mix of faces of all ethnicities and all ages.

"I'm glad everybody's out here," said Reginald Cousar, one of the hundreds of Philadelphians who came out for the event. "The way our country's going now we have to support each other."

Reginald Cousar of North Philadelphia at the Catto monument revealing.

But the statue can only do so much.

"The statue itself is just a piece of artwork," Cousar said. The meaning of the day goes deeper than it, he felt.

"It's about what he did, why he did it and when he did it and the cause," Cousar said. "People [need to] understand that these fights still go on."

Robin Aluko from North Philadelphia live blogs her reaction to the statue being unveiled.

Robin Aluko hopes that Catto is just the beginning of a movement to celebrate black history.

"I hope this is one of many statues that we have in Philadelphia to celebrate the accomplishments of African American people through the course of things that have happened in our time in the United States," Aluko said.

Catto is an excellent start.

"When I saw the statue revealed, it was chilling event for me," she said. "It means so much, especially in light of so many things happening, for us to have a symbol: someone who resisted, someone who stood up for us, black people, in America."

"This is one of my personal heroes," said Greg Harris, a member of the 3rd division of United States Colored Troops re-enactors, who were part of the unveiling ceremony.

"He's one of the founding fathers of civil rights," Harris said of Catto. "He should be up there with Frederick Douglas. Not quite Martin Luther King, but at least Frederick Douglas. He was way before his time."

The significance of having a statue at City Hall isn't lost on Harris.

"It's one of the best honors a Philadelphian can ever have," he said.

And as he watched the statue be unveiled, he was filled with pride in his city for recognizing Catto. He hopes that the statue reminds people of what Catto fought for.

"The struggles continues and he was part of the struggle," Harris said. "He's the inspiration to not just African Americans, but all Philadelphians and all Americans."